What Absence Can do to a Friend
by Magmashift
Summary: So this is just a small thing about what happens when Jack gets too caught up in his work when Jamie needed him most of all. It'll be a few chapters. I wanted to do this after reading Forever Young by A Moonlit Resolution
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Obviously I do not own RotG. I've been wanting to do this for a long time. And after reading Forever Young by A Moonlit Resolution, (read it, I cried), I remembered this which has been in the back of my head for centuries. Not sure how long this will go. It's a short story and a one-shot. To those who have actually read my RotG short stories, I'll be working on backstories soon. My next one will be North.**

It had been a few years since he'd talked to him. Maybe if being a Guardian wasn't so hard, he would've had time to have a little fun. But today was a free day. Today, he would visit Jamie after all these years. Jamie would be so happy to see him. How many years had it been? It couldn't have been no more than three right? But...it felt like longer. Had it been longer than three years? Jamie was only 8 the last he remembered. _Thank Manny I'm a teenager forever. Growing up is no fun. Especially when you have to grow up for 300 years and beyond eternity._ Jack thought. All this hard work had his brains fried.

"Jack!" Called a familiar voice that was deep, but friendly.

Jack turned to see a tall man with a long beard and friendly blue eyes. "Hey. I was about to go visit Jamie. You guys want to come?" The other Guardians joined North's side.

Tooth, as usual was too busy with her Baby-Teeth to answer. Elves looked up at North, happily, eager to see not Jamie, but his adorable little sister, Sophie again. "I guess we have little bit of time on our hands." Jack flew into the air, smiling. His bright blue eyes looked down at the friends he'd grown accustomed to. North, actually was more like a father-figure to him. Bunnymund...well, he was more like the grumpy uncle that gave you socks for your birthday. Or in his case, eggs.

North flew overhead with his sleigh, Sandy in the backseat, raising up his arms. Bunnymund raced on the ground, for he was more of a runner than a flyer. Tooth flew ahead, sending her fairies to get teeth. Eventually, the town of Burgess was in sight and Jack, over-joyed, flew ahead of them, eager to see his friend again.

Jamie sat in the park with his friends and sister. One arm around Pippa's shoulder. She had been his girlfriend for a long time and he'd never been happier than his moments with her. Or at least, he didn't think he'd ever had any happier moments. If there were any, they had been long forgotten, but they still sat at the back of his mind. Sophie looked at Jamie with a small frown. He grew up too fast, she thought. Maybe it was after he'd realized that their father wasn't coming back from the Army. Or maybe it was after Abbey had died. Or maybe it was just because some people changed for the worst.

She didn't like seeing him so upset. Pippa rested her head on his shoulder. She liked being in his arms, but...the past few years...the feel of his hands, face, or even just staring at him, all of it had gotten colder. He wasn't the fun-loving, pure-hearted boy. Just a teen with a fake smile. What had happened to him? "You okay, Pippa?" Jamie asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah. I was just...thinking."

"About what?"

"You." Jamie laughed, thinking this was a normal girlfriend thing and shrugged it off.

Pippa remembered when Jamie had found out about his dad. A man in a uniform had knocked on their door, bearing the bad news. The man gave his mother the envelope and the flag. Pippa had seem Jamie run to his room with tears filling up his eyes and pouring down his cheeks. Sophie had been too young to understand what was happening. When she'd gone up to his room, as cheerful as could be, she was greeted with a shout and a door slam to the face. Sophie's heart had been shattered. Her relationship with Jamie had been torn to bits. Jamie wasn't the only one who changed. Sophie went from loving and bubbly to an introvert. Her hair had been dyed pitch black, her eyes had been outlined with thick eyeliner and her heart grew smaller everyday.

Matters had only gotten worse since their dog, Abbey had been hit by a car. His mom insisted that she'd buy him a new dog, but no one could replace her. She'd been there since he was little. Even throughout...that time in his life that had been all but forgotten. It was all a long dream. Magic and monsters...the times his imagination went wild. Jamie hid his broken heart with a smile, though everyone could see through the smile that was just as shattered.

Jack saw Jamie in the park and stopped with a somewhat horrified look on his face. Jamie was older. Too much older. He looked back at the Guardians who seemed to be less shocked. "Jack, what did you expect? It's been ten years." Tooth said.

"T-Ten years? You mean...it's been ten years? But-no. That's impossible. It's only been three years. Jamie should only be 11 years old. He should only be 11." Jack landed, trying to catch his breath. Had it really been that long? But...no. All the work he'd been doing, bringing joy to kids...keeping them safe...it had all destroyed his way of thinking. He'd been too caught up in his work to keep up with the kids he loved.

But there he was, sitting on a park bench with Pippa in his arms. There were his old friends, Monty, Claude, Caleb, Cupcake, and...was that Sophie? She looked so...destroyed. What had happened while he was gone?

Was Jack absent when Jamie needed him the most?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: That chapter focused mainly on Jamie, but this one...IDK. Maybe this one will be better than the last one. I don't know how long this will be. Maybe a short story with a few chapters. This is shorter than the other one, but I tried.**

Jack landed with the others. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Sophie immediately saw the Guardians and smiled, but it faded when she remembered Jamie. Would Jamie still be the same to him? Or would he just be the empty shell of her brother that he'd been for the past ten years? Jack didn't seem to notice that Jamie paid no attention to him; but the others did. Should they tell him? And get the heartbreak over with? Or let him figure it out on his own?

"It's getting late. My mom will want me home for dinner." Pippa said.

"Alright. I'll take you home." Jamie stood up and grabbed Pippa's hand. Pippa blinked as she saw Jack and stopped abruptly. Jamie however, only walked halfway through Jack before stopping, looking back at his girlfriend. "What's wrong?" Jack stepped back, in utter shock. Did that really happen?

"Jamie? Can you hear me? Jamie!" The young Guardian shouted, but no answer. Jamie hadn't even looked his way.

"Pippa, hello?" Pippa jerked her head back to Jamie. "Are you okay?"

"Jack Fr-" Pippa pointed to Jack, but when Jamie looked, all he saw was an empty spot right in front of a sandbox.

"Who? No one's there."

"Oh...um..." Sophie ran up to Jack and hugged him, tears streaming down her face along with her ruined eyeliner. Jamie stared at his sister as if she'd gone mad.

"Sophie, what are you doing?"

Ignoring her brother, Sophie cried into Jack's sweater, "I missed you. Please never leave ever again."

All of Jamie's friends looked toward Jack and then back to Jamie. "You really can't see them?" Monty asked.

"See who?"

"Jack Frost."

"Santa Claus." Cupcake added.

"The Tooth Fairy?" Claude asked

"Sandman..." Sophie groaned.

"Or the Easter Bunny?" Caleb sighed. Jamie looked as if his friends had all lost their marbles.

"What are you guys talking about? There's no such thing. There never has been." Jamie said, almost choking back laughter. He shrugged and walked through the Guardians.

"Jack, we..." Tooth tried to say.

"How long?" Jack asked.

"What?"

"How long did you guys know?"

"People have to stop believing eventually, Jack-" Bunny tried to say, but Jack cut him off.

"You _knew _Jamie had stopped believing! You _fucking knew_!"

"We thought you should find out on your own. Children stop believing." North comforted.

"We needed you Jack..." Sophie cried.

"First Jamie's father..." Pippa said.

"Then his dog." Claude added.

"He needed comfort. Every night he begged for you to show up, but you never did. You never did! Because of that he stopped believing. All you could have done was just stop by the window! I spent the last ten years feeling hated by him!" Sophie wiped tears from her face. She knew it wasn't his fault, nor was it anyone else's fault but Jamie's. Jamie had been the one to take Jack's absence seriously. He'd stopped seeing the magic in the world. Maybe if someone had just tried to talk to Jamie, or maybe if he'd let someone in, tell them that he had been needing help.

"I wish I could have been there to help him, but..."

"You had your job as a Guardian. No one blames you. We understand. Jack, we kept believing in you guys because we knew - hoped - that you guys could restore his belief. I guess we were wrong..." Pippa said.

"I-if it's any consolation, I never would have stopped believing in you guys either way." Monty rallied weakly. Jack stood up and sighed, looking as if he'd just had all the breath knocked out of him. He was in shock still.

"Please tell me this is just a dream." Jack begged. He turned to the other Guardians with tears in his eyes. "Tell me I'm just sleeping and that this is a nightmare. Please." They all shook their heads grimly. "No...Jamie needed me..."

"It happens a lot. We get too caught up in our business and children stop believing in us. There will still be more children..." Bunny tried to defend.

"But Jamie was different! He was the one who loved us and believed in us when no one else did! Jamie needed me specifically needed me and I failed him! Because of ME Jamie doesn't believe in any of us!" Tooth sighed and put her hand on Jack's shoulder.

"It's a big loss to all of us, but kids stop believing everyday. We've learned to deal with it."

"But I was important to Jamie. He needed me. I failed him."

"We all did. It has nothing to do with you, mate." Bunny rallied. "We've all felt like this, but then we realized that there would be more children."

"We understand Jamie was important to you. He was important to all of us. But for every child that stops believing, there will be another to take their place." North said. Sophie smiled weakly. Jamie's friends still believed in them. She still believed in them. And she would never stop believing in them. Not ever. Jamie looked back at his sister.

"You coming Soph?"

"No, thanks. I'll wait here with them. I'll see you back at home." Jamie nodded and got in his car. He drove off, not knowing the childhood he'd left behind. Nor what awaited him in the future.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: OKAY! NOW TIME FOR MORE SADNESS AND HEART-WRENCHING STUFF THAT WILL MAKE YOU BOTH HATE ME AND LOVE ME! BOW, BOW, BOW! *Ahem* I mean...continue reading.**

Sophie sat in her room, holding her stuffed animals. It couldn't be true. This time, nothing, not even a hug from her brother would stop the tears. Even if he could still hug her, he never would. Ever since yesterday, her mother hadn't even spoken. Not to Sophie, not to anyone. The air had gotten colder, and more bitter. Why? Why did this happen to her family? It had all happened so fast. If she'd been with him, she wouldn't be alone.

Jamie had gotten in the car and buckled his seat belt and like always, turned the radio up to where he couldn't hear himself think. Maybe because if he ever heard himself think, he would remember his father. If he hadn't had the radio up so loud, he would have heard the shouts of his friends and sister. But by the time he had been able to look in the rear view mirror, the large furniture truck had crashed into his car. The truck had lost control of the steering on the wet road since the past few days had been extremely rainy and the road hadn't been completely dry. The screeching of the truck trying to brake didn't overpower the sound of Sophie's shrill cry of agony. Monty held her back to keep her from getting hit by the truck.

She shoved Monty away and ran toward the crash scene. It couldn't have happened. Not to Jamie. When the driver stepped out, she noticed that his eyes were bloodshot and the faint smell of alcohol could be smelled on his breath, though he tried to look and act normal. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't-" Sophie's emotion went from sadness to anger as the driver turned away to get something out of his truck. She picked up the nearest thing, which happened to be a rather heavy rock and threw it at the driver's head.

"You son of a bitch! YOU KILLED MY BROTHER AND YOU DON'T EVEN CARE! I HOPE YOU ROT IN PRISON! YOU KILLED HIM!" She fell to her knees, sobbing. Jack stood there, speechless. It had taken a moment for him to process what had just happened. He stood there, gripping his staff so tightly that his knuckles turned as white as his hair until he threw his staff.

"WHY!? WHY DID HE HAVE TO DIE!?"

"Every-" Tooth started, but Jack shot her a look.

"Not like that! No one deserves to die like that! Jamie...he was just a boy."

"You don't think there isn't that one child we've all cared about that died!? Just because he was the only one to cast a second glance at you doesn't mean he isn't more important than any other child that we've come across!" Bunnymund defended. "Look at Sophie! You think she's feeling any less pain than you are? We feel the same exact pain you do. The only difference? We've been around long enough to not get too attached because, unlike us, they all die. Each and every one of them." Jack panted angrily and flew off.

"Jack-"

"Don't worry, Tooth. I'll go talk to him. You guys just take care of Sophie and them." Bunnymund disappeared through a tunnel. Jack sat in a tree overlooking his favorite lake.

"Manny...if you can hear me...please. Just tell me why we had to do this...get attached...get hearts broken...all of it. Why? Why not just have us stick to our jobs and not befriend the children?"

"Because then there would be no Guardians like you." Bunnymund said, climbing up the tree to sit next to him.

"I'm no Guardian. I make a mess where ever I go..."

"Sure you mess up, mate, but that's because you're still learning. It doesn't mean you're not a Guardian. On my first day, I was so nervous, I couldn't hide all the eggs in time. But I learned."

"But it didn't take you 300 years to learn, did it?"

"No, but that's because I have one job. You're Jack Frost. If it's not one side of the planet you're dealing with, it's another. It would take a while to learn." Jack sighed and wrapped his arms around his knees. "We're all upset about what happened, but you can't let that get to you, mate. There are other children that need you just as much as Jamie did. And trust me, I know what it's like to lose that one child you felt close to."

"You do? How long did it take you to heal from the pain?"

"In all honesty? I never did. Completely."

"How do you manage to hide it?"

"I look on the brighter side of it."

Jack straightened up a bit. "What brighter side?"

"That boy gets to work with me. No matter how annoying he can be."

"Huh? You mean-" Bunnymund nodded. "But you act like...you hate me."

"Because I did grow to hate you. As you got older, you became such a little rack-off. I didn't hate you because of what you did as a teenager, I hated you because of the childhood you left behind. But when you fell through that ice, I knew that I had been wrong about you."

"Then why do you act like you hate me?"

"Because sometimes, I do, but there are times when I see that you care about kids as much as we do, maybe even more. None of us have lost a family, you have. You've got that special compassion in you that none of us could have. You can care for the children in ways we can't because you've always had time to get to know them better and know what they like. What their lives are like. I've always envied that about you. That you could get to know them better than I ever could."

"You mean you've been acting like a boomerang was shoved up your butt because you've been jealous of me?"

"In a manner of speaking. Although you can be irresponsible sometimes. And when you do, all kinds of heck breaks loose." Jack let out a laugh and sighed.

"I guess I still have a lot to learn, don't I? About outgrowing children?"

"More than you think."

"When did I start out-growing you?"

"When your little sister was born. You started growing up so you could be more like her..."

"Guardian." Bunnymund nodded.

"Yeah." Bunnymund sighed and looked at Jack. "You told Jamie that we'd always be here for him and we were. He just didn't recognize that. No matter what children think, we will always be here to protect them. Even if they stop believing in us, if they start to hate us, or if they continue to believe in us until their deathbed, we will always be there to make sure that children are safe from harm. Don't get me wrong, I wish we could have done something about Jamie, but we couldn't. We could have shouted until our voices gave out, but-"

"He would never have heard us. I know. But Jamie...he was so different. It was like it wasn't even him anymore. Just an empty shell."

"I know and that's the worst thing we've ever had to experience, but it happens sometimes." Jack smiled a bit, but looked down. "My point is you will always be super-protective of kids, and when one leaves, it doesn't mean that we should give up. There are ten billion kids out there would love to meet you. And we know how much Jamie meant to you, mate, but that doesn't mean there won't be other children you grow attached to."

"So you're telling me to move on and forget Jamie?"

"No...not forget him, just don't take it personally. You shouldn't make it your sole job to be the only person to protect someone. It puts too much pressure on you. Just think about how many ankle-biters you can bring joy to. The ones you need to be bringing joy to now." Jack nodded and sighed. Bunnymund gave Jack an awkward but friendly pat on the back. "You've been a better Guardian than I thought you would ever be."

"Did you ever feel that way with me?"

"What way?"

"That I'd turned into an empty shell?"

"No. Just that you grew up too fast. That's the worst pain of all for a child." Jack smiled and let out a small laugh.

"You're not too bad of a Guardian yourself, cottontail." Bunnymund chuckled and looked at the sky, not knowing what to say next. "Thank you. For just being my friend. I know I give you a hard time a lot, but you're a good friend and a really great Guardian." Jack jumped off and landed on the ground, smiling up at Bunnymund. "Race you home! Come on, cottontail!" Bunnymund smiled, glad that Jack was feeling at least a little better, or hiding it well. He ran ahead of Jack, looking back at him.

He'd been wrong about Jack the first time he'd heard he was chosen to be a Guardian. It just took the right thing to get him to see his worth. Jack flew beside him, keeping up with Bunnymund. Even if Jack did get on his nerves, he was still a good friend to have around.

And at that moment, Bunnymund saw the spark of the child that he'd known.


End file.
